Six Indonesians charged in S'pore

Six Indonesians charged in S'pore

SINGAPORE: Six Indonesian men have been charged for allegedly trying to enter Singapore illegally, police said on Tuesday.

The men rowed a small, wooden boat for about six hours from an Indonesian island before they were spotted by Singapore's coast guard early on Sunday in waters off the city-state's eastern coast, the police said in a statement.

Police spokesman Rachel Yeo said the men, who were not identified, were charged on Monday. She declined to say from which Indonesian island they had left.

If convicted, they face jail terms of up to six months and three strokes of the cane.

"The six ...claimed to be Indonesians," the police statement said. "They had no travel documents and were looking for jobs in the city-state."

Thousands of people from impoverished Indonesia and other neighboring countries flock to wealthy Singapore in search of work. -- AP